Phautumn
by fitzdillore22
Summary: Dan and Phil are enjoying a lovely autumn day, actually walking outside, when Phil's hands get too cold and Phil realizes he doesn't have any gloves. Fluff. One shot with two parts. Short. One swear word. Please review.
1. Too Cold

"Dan!" Phil whined as they walked along the narrow lane. It was autumn and the colorful, dead leaves were gently falling down with the crisp breeze that accompanied them this fall day.

"What Phil?" Dan asked, annoyed to be taken out of this autumn anesthetic immersion.

"My hands are cold." Phil complained, making a big show of him rubbing his hands together to warm them; which was to no avail, they were still more frozen than Jack Frost's blue ass.

"Help me?" Phil asked, holding out his hand to Dan in the middle space between them as they walked. Dan eyed Phil's hand as if Phil might strike Dan with. Dan now slipped his own hands into his coat pockets to keep Phil away from them.

"Try doing this." Dan muttered. He showed his hands in his pockets; sticking them out a little, making them bulge. Dan was now walking at a quicker pace to knock them out of their previously synced strides. Phil slowed and felt the hurt showing on his face.

He and Dan had been dating far too long for hand holding to make Dan shy or uncomfortable. It was just Dan's perpetual fear of being outed when he wasn't ready. Sure, there were pictures of them hand holding throughout the years, but they were blurred and hard to _really_ tell _if_ he and Dan were _actually_ hand holding. However, every new picture made Dan push himself away from Phil, sometimes for months at a time.

Just as Phil managed to pull Dan closer to him, another picture of 'Phan proof' would pop up and he'd have to fight Dan all over again. Phil was sick of it but he did have his own reservations about coming out to their fans, just not as bad as Dan's. Today, on the other hand, there was hardly anyone within their demographic out today and they weren't in a shopping mall, they were on a residential street on a Sunday afternoon. Everyone was inside, gathering strength for the week ahead.

 _Screw this._ Phil thought then rushed back to Dan's side, plunged his hand into Dan's pocket, pulled out Dan's hand and interlocked their long fingers.

"Phil, what are you?!" Dan questioned shocked. He then realized how nice if felt to have his hand in Phil's. "Wow." Dan gulped, feeling Phil's skin on his own. "You really are cold."

"Not much warmer than you; you're freezing!" Phil frowned but bumped a hip into Dan's, causing Dan to jostle a little in his steps. "You should be called Mr. Freeze." Phil mumbled.

Their paces slowed until they were in sync once more. Phil closed the gap between them and sort of leaned and walked with Dan, forcing him to do the same unless Dan wanted to wander into the streets due to the newfound weight on his side. Dan pressed his head to the side of Phil's and sighed.

"I miss this." Dan whispered. He was referring to the times before he and Phil became so overwhelmingly popular that they couldn't go five steps without getting recognized. Which was basically a very small window of time in 2009 when Dan was just starting out as a YouTuber and Phil was still in the thousands, subscribers wise.

"I miss it too." Phil whispered back. He thought about sharing food and feeding each other without millions of awes, walking hand in hand, dancing to Fall Out Boy songs at the shopping center, even finding dark corners for them to kiss from time to time; sometimes doing more.

But this was the best they could do for PDA right now and Phil could accept that until the next post sends them into another pause on their relationship. For the moment, holding hands on a Sunday afternoon was just what he needed.

As the men were rounding the corner for home, they came to realize that they were no longer cold.


	2. Meanwhile

"Hey, isn't that that YouTube couple you love so much?" My friend questioned, pointing out the lounge window across the street. I turned to the giant glass window and saw two lean, pale giants walking down the street hand in hand past my house.

"Oh my god!" I gasped and rushed to the window. I unflattering and unceremoniously press my face up against the glass. "It _is them_!" I breathed then raced to grab my coat and my phone before running down the street after them. Just as I was about to call their names, I noticed how they were walking and stop.

They were not Dan and Phil: YouTube stars, they were Dan and Phil: the gay couple all their friends can't get enough of.

Dan and Phil,: the couple that doesn't shut up about how amazing the other is.

Dan and Phil: the couple that both of their families place bets on when one of them will purpose.

Dan and Phil: the still closeted yet most talked about couple on YouTube.

I glanced down at my hands to see my phone clenched tightly in my sweaty palm, ready for a selfie and a short chat. I am a fan of both of them, but if I was going introduce myself to them just then; I might also be the fan that tears them apart.

I looked up and saw their united tall form nearing a corner. I knew once they turned that corner, I would have missed my chance to talk to them one on one.

Dan suddenly pulled away, turned to Phil, and leaned in. From my distance, I couldn't tell if it was a kiss or a whisper. I realized, in that moment, I didn't want to know if they weren't ready to tell me.

It took every fiber of my being not to run after them as they came to and rounded the corner, causing them to disappear from sight.

It took every muscle not to break down and cry in the middle of my street for missing such an opportunity.

I gathered myself together and returned my phone to the pocket of my jeans and my hands into my coat pockets. I turned around and see my friend standing there, heaving like she had just ran after me.

For a brief second, I get an idea what Dan and Phil would have seen if I had interrupted them and I was mortified and so grateful I had had enough self control not to call to them.

"Well," She asked me breathlessly. "What happened?"

"It wasn't them." I lied. "It was Dan and Phil's gay doppelgangers." This made her laugh. She straightened and sighed.

"Well, maybe it will be the real deal next time." She hoped for my sake.

"Yeah, maybe." I mused.

"After all," She said, putting an arm around my shoulder. This action gave me a feeling she knew I was lying and she was trying to comfort me for missing this chance. "There can't be too many gay, tall, pale, Brits with emo boy haircuts running around on this island."

"I'd be shocked if there were even more than two!" I laughed at her lengthy and accurate description. We were quiet as we walk back to my house.

"Do you have anymore of your mum's cider left in the fridge we could heat up?" She wondered eagerly, changing the subject.

"You know we always do." I smiled, rolling my eyes at her love of cider. However, I was and still am grateful I have such an understanding friend.

 _I'll meet them one day._ I promised myself as we wandered into the kitchen. _And I'll tell them that I saw them before, and maybe tell them I wanted a picture, but leave out the reason why I didn't. Yeah, a much better plan then running after them and interrupting their moment._ I agreed with myself then smiled as I slipped a mug, full to the brim of frothy cold cider, into the microwave.

I heard Dan's voice as I started the microwave to heat up my cider. _MI-crowave._

"MI-crowave." I echoed with a giggle.


End file.
